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Report: McLaren crashes MP4 12C on the ‘Ring… is a record attempt in the cards?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Europe, Luxury

McLaren MP4-12C on track

McLaren MP4-12C – Click above for high-res image gallery

Word on the web is that McLaren binned a new MP4-12C at the Nürburgring recently. According to Pistonheads, one of the early prototypes of the vehicle got up close and personal with some barriers at the legendary circuit, though the damage apparently wasn’t severe enough to put the model out of commission for good. The driver, who remains anonymous, wasn’t injured in the kerfuffle. McLaren hasn’t come out and said whether the incident was a result of driver error, mechanical failure or some other factor.

Officially, he MP4-12C was only out for durability testing, but since the accident occurred at the very end of a scheduled test session, some minds have begun to wonder whether or not McLaren was attempting to set a ‘Ring record time with their new lightweight. According to Pistonheads, the company says that while it may pursue such an adventure at some point down the line, that’s not what was going on when the vehicle left the tarmac. Of course, that would seem to contradict reports from the scene where witnesses were said they saw the MP4-12C traveling flat-out just before the impact.

McLaren crashes MP4 12C on the ‘Ring… is a record attempt in the cards? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Ford Fiesta ST tackles the ‘Ring

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hatchback, Ford

Ford Fiesta ST spy shots

Ford Fiesta ST spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford’s tiny-tough Fiesta ST is getting closer to production, and our spies recently captured this revised prototype being put through its paces out on the Nürburgring. This latest tester clearly sports a huge grille opening with a visible intercooler, large wheels and a revised rear exhaust.

The Fiesta ST will be powered by Ford’s 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four, with an expected 180 horsepower running to those front wheels. We don’t doubt that the boosted Fiesta will be a pretty slick little hot hatch, and we’ll have the full details when the car makes its official debut later this year. In the meantime, click through our high-res image gallery to see the three-door test mule running ’round the ‘Ring.

Ford Fiesta ST tackles the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 May 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Scion FR-S caught prepping for ‘Ring runs

Filed under: Spy Photos, Scion, Toyota

spy shots scion fr-s

Spy Shots: Scion FR-S – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve been waiting, rather patiently we might add, for Toyota to bring out its latest sports car for what seems like millenniums. This new coupe will be wearing a Scion badge and go by the name FR-S, which stands for “front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sport.” It’s the “R” and “S” that has enthusiasts eager to lay eyes on this Scion in the flesh. A concept version was trotted out at the 2011 New York Auto Show, but spy photographers managed to capture a camo-covered development mule adding “Germany” to the stamps in its passport book.

What specific area of Germany, you ask? Just a little town called Nürburg, which is home to a slice of asphalt you may have heard of before. This means Toyota engineers are fine-tuning the sports car, and the Nürburgring is sure to provide lots of data points for them to dissect. Data points make engineers happy, and happy engineers make fun-to-drive cars.

Looking over the pics, it appears those engineers have ditched the concept’s rear diffuser but added in a rear spoiler. We can’t wait to see what else is in store once that swirls come off.

Check out the spy photos of the Scion FR-S by clicking through the gallery below.

Scion FR-S caught prepping for ‘Ring runs originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 May 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peugeot EX1 rips ’round the ‘Ring with record-setting EV run

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Europe, Peugeot, Specialty, Electric

Peugeot EX1 at the Nurburgring

Peugeot EX1 sets electric vehicle ‘Ring record – Click above to watch video after the jump

For decades now, automakers have turned to the famed Nürburgring in Germany to put vehicles to the test. On April 27th, Peugeot sent its radically styled EX1 electric ’round the ‘Ring, setting a record for battery-powered vehicles with a time of 9 minutes 1.338 seconds.

The Nürburgring actually consists of several interlacing tracks, with the main stretch, the Nordschleife, comprising almost 13 miles of hairpin turns, undulating surfaces and lengthy straightaways.

Peugeot’s electric sports car averaged a rather impressive 85.9 miles per hour on the demanding 12-plus mile Nordschleife track. The EX1 smoked the previous electric vehicle record of 9:51, set by a modified Mini E back in 2010. Hit the jump to catch official video of the EX1 whizzing ’round the ‘Ring.

Continue reading Peugeot EX1 rips ’round the ‘Ring with record-setting EV run

Peugeot EX1 rips ’round the ‘Ring with record-setting EV run originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 May 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peugeot EX1 sets fastest electric car lap at the ‘Ring

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Convertible, Performance, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Peugeot, Electric

2010 Peugeot EX1 Concept

2010 Peugeot EX1 Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Peugeot EX1 has whirred its way into the record books by lapping the 12-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife with a 9:01.338-minute run. According to Peugeot, that shatters the previous electric vehicle record at the track by an impressive 50 seconds.

The fully-electric Pug, which debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, averaged 85 mph on its record-setting run. Peugeot has promised to release photos and video of the EX1 at the Nordschleife, but for now we’ll have to wait.

The lightweight, four-wheel drive EX1 was created to celebrate Peugeot’s 200th birthday, and packs a pair of electric motors (one on each axle) totaling 340 horsepower. As for production, don’t hold your breath, though the technologies on display in the EX1 and lessons learned during its development will likely influence future models.

Gallery: Peugeot EX1 concept

[Source: World Car Fans]

Peugeot EX1 sets fastest electric car lap at the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 May 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Audi S4 facelift spied on the ‘Ring

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Spy Photos, Performance, Wagon, Audi

Audi S4 Avant spy shots

Audi S4 Avant spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

The piping-hot Audi RS4 may not be destined for consumption here in the United States, but its little brother, the S4, will continue to live on in America. Our spy photographers recently spotted this S4 prototype – in delicious Avant flavor – testing on the Nürburgring, showing off a newly facelifted front end.

Much like the A6 and A7, the revised S4 will wear Audi’s reshaped grille with slanted upper corners – a design element that will also trickle down to the base A4 and the A5. Additionally, it appears that the front bumper has been tweaked, with larger lower air intakes that are reminiscent of what we see on the smaller TTS. Our spies also suggest that the S4’s taillamps will receive a once-over, looking more akin to what’s currently used on the A6/A7.

Mum’s the word on powertrain upgrades, but we expect that Audi has a few tricks up its sleeve to keep the S4’s performance prowess in check. Some minor tweaks to the car’s cabin will likely be in store, as well. Look for the facelifted S4 to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Gallery: Audi S4 Avant: Spy Shots

Audi S4 Avant: Spy Shots

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Audi S4 facelift spied on the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2012 Nissan GT-R shaving 2.48 seconds off ‘Ring time

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Nissan

2012 nissan gt-r at nurburgring

2012 Nissan GT-R takes on Nürburgring – Click above to watch video after the jump

Nissan loves spending time in Germany. We imagine that Nissan engineers have passports filled with German point-of-entry stamps. However, they’ve likely only spent time in one specific area: the village of Nürburg, Germany.

With the GT-R now producing an extra 45 horsepower for model year 2012, Nissan went back to the Nürburgring last October with it’s updated super coupe to see how much time it could shave off the old car’s best lap – a blistering 7m 26.7s. The result? With a new lap time of 7:24.22, how does a hair quicker than the Maserati MC12 sound?

That time doesn’t just place the 2012 Nissan GT-R ahead of the Maserati. Other cars with slower times include the Pagani Zonda F Clubsport, Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT and a host of other expensive, hard-to-pronounce exotic machines, at least according to Wikipedia. Since there is no official governing body that records Nürburgring lap times for production cars, it’s hard to say which ones really do have the lowest lap times. From what we can tell, the Dodge Viper ACR and Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 are still quicker than the 2012 GT-R.

Follow the jump to watch the run for yourself, which we just found on YouTube for the first time today, but note that the driving action begins around the 3:09 mark.

[Source: Youtube via Motor Authority]

Continue reading Video: 2012 Nissan GT-R shaving 2.48 seconds off ‘Ring time

Video: 2012 Nissan GT-R shaving 2.48 seconds off ‘Ring time originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: BMW flings M3 pickup around the ‘Ring

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Truck, Etc., Europe, BMW, Luxury

BMW M3 Pickup Spy Shots

BMW M3 pickup spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

There aren’t words to convey just how happy this makes us. With Spring officially licking at the sanctified asphalt of the Nürburgring, testing season has kicked into high gear. Our elite squad of spy photographers has set up camp to take in the action and happened to catch this bizarre beastie obliterating its tires amongst a herd of other BMW mules. As you might expect, there’s exactly zero information on the machine other than it looks for all the world to be an M3 pickup.

Trust us when we say that we’re going to sleep more soundly tonight knowing that somewhere in the world, this creation exists.

We have no idea what the BMW engineers are up to with this one, though we love the idea of an M3-powered spiritual successor to the El Camino throne (bonus points for the camouflage as racing stripes motif, too). Assumed to have the same 4.0-liter V8 found in the nose of the current M3, this beast should be be good for 414 horsepower – perfect for making lickety-split runs to the hardware store.

We’d sell a passel of vital organs for a little seat time in this thing, even if it does simply turn out to be an early April Fool’s joke. The shots are real, so perhaps BMW’s design team are just blowing off some steam, or readying a one-off for Europe’s tuner extravaganza of choice, the Essen Motor Show?

Gallery: Spy Shots: BMW M3 Pickup

[Source: KGP Photography]

Spy Shots: BMW flings M3 pickup around the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Citroën

Fast Lane Daily 1000th Episode

Fast Lane Daily hits 1,000 episodes and goes to the ‘Ring – Click above to watch video after the jump

Fast Lane Daily has been running for some time now. The Next New Networks show first hit the internet back in 2007, and over the course of the last few years have produced quite a bit of content. In fact, the newest episode marks number 1,000 for the FLD crew. To celebrate the occasion, Fast Lane Daily creator Emil Rensing has sent host Derek DeAngelis to Germany so he can drive the Nürburgring. Sounds pretty amazing, until Derek D. realizes his entire trip has a budget of $1,000.

Regardless of the lack of funds, DeAngelis is still able to get to the Green Hell and spend time on the track. It may be behind the wheel of a Citroën C4 but the entire trip clearly has a strong effect on the host. Though the 24-minute clip is longer than the typical Fast Lane Daily segment, we think it’s worth it to watch this one all the way through.

Hop the jump to watch FLD’s 1,000th episode.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000

Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW reportedly catches ring of workers stealing up to $4 million in parts

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, BMW

According to reports, a ring of 18 workers at BMW’s plant in Munich have been stealing from the German automaker for years. It seems the individuals would stop the lines for fake quality control checks and make off with the goods to be sold on the open market. The most lucrative business reportedly centered around reselling seats through internet auctions.

BMW’s own internal investigators discovered the thievery – but not until €3 million in goods ($4 million) was stolen – and reported the matter to local authorities. At least three ex-employees are currently in custody. Thanks for the tip, Gregg!

[Source: The Local | Photo: Drew Phillips/AOL]

BMW reportedly catches ring of workers stealing up to $4 million in parts originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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